- There are no Apple stores in Brooklyn, but they'll also be available at Best Buys with embedded Apple shops. TUAW

- Of which there appears to be only one listed in all of Brooklyn, at 8923 Bay Pkwy. If it receives its iPads, it will only receive five in each price category for a total of 15. That's right: In the fourth-largest city in the United States,15 iPads, five in each price category. BestBuy

Now that the Gowanus Canal has been Superfunded, crews have already started drilling core samples to figure out just what all that stuff is down there. To retrieve the core samples, contractors use special tubes made from industrial, heavy-duty plastic -- the type of plastic used in space helmets and bullet resistant windows, according to Tracking PlaNYC 2030.

So how's it going?

According to Ink Lake, the regional Superfund director calls the Gowanus, “as heavily contaminated a waterway as we’ve ever seen.”

First problem encountered: "The stuff is eating through the heavy-duty plastic that they use to drill core samples."

How pathetic is this? The only bus that travels between Downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan -- the B51 -- is about to be cut, along with the B39, the only bus from Williamsburg to Manhattan.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz hosted a press conference with and transportation advocate Christopher Greif at the Joralemon Street bus stops outside Brooklyn Borough Hall yesterday to complain about the effect this will have on elderly and disabled riders, and everyone else as well.

The B51 serves nearly 1,000 riders each weekday; the B39 carries 1,300 passengers daily. Cuts to these routes, along with other bus and subway service reductions, are expected to be voted on by the MTA board today.

Markowitz points out these buses "are absolute lifelines for riders with disabilities or who are elderly. There is simply no reasonable way for people with mobility and accessibility issues who cannot take the subway—especially considering many stations along these routes are not ADA-compliant—to get over to Manhattan without these vital bus routes.”

- Also, the MTA plans to reconfigure Brownstone Brooklyn’s B69, B71, B75 and B77 routes, which will complicate commutes and lead to increased wait times. Also on the table are reductions for Borough Park’s B23, Marine Park’s B2, Greenpoint’s B24, the B7 on Kings Highway, the B31 in Gerritsen Beach and several other routes.

- The MTA plans to slash millions of dollars from Access-A-Ride, used by disabled people.

Brooklyn Screwed?

Assemblywoman Joan Millman said that the cuts “disproportionately affects Brooklyn. "Contrary to the MTA’s assertion, bus service does not replicate subway service because so many of our city’s subway stations are truly inaccessible to the elderly and people with disabilities. Buses are not only easier to board, but deliver riders closer to their destinations. Yet again, the most populous borough has been short-changed by the MTA.”

Backtracking from stories published in the New York Times and other papers that NYU would be building “a new engineering school in Brooklyn,” and adding a million square feet of space at MetroTech as part of an overall expansion, NYU told the Brooklyn Eagle Tuesday that any new additions to the Brooklyn Polytechnic campus would not be a million square feet, but a smaller amount on top of the university's already existing 700,000 square foot campus.

Which is already an engineering/ technology school, so it wouldn't exactly be a "new engineering school."

And any construction that did happen would not actually be happening right away, "but not until the second and third phases" of the plan . . .

- The DUMBO Neighborhood Foundation has filed for a summary judgment to reverse the zoning changes which would allow a controversial 17-story Dock Street tower to be built adjacent to the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO. Brooklyn Eagle

- The Nets "may go down as the worst team in history." On Monday a fan sat with a bag over his head. USA Today

- David G. Greenfield, the executive director of the Sephardic Community Federation, was elected Tuesday to succeed City Councilman Simcha Felder. New York Times

- The Williamsburg Walks event is having a bumpy time this year. Gothamist

Part of the largest expansion in NYU's history includes plans for the Greenwich Village area, Brooklyn and Governors Island.

NYU told the Times that it is really trying, this time, to listen to its neighbors and not just try to steamroll the expansion plans through.

In January, officials at Poly laid out their preliminary plans for building improvements and the redesign of some areas of the MetroTech campus. According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the founder of the Jonathan Rose Companies, Jonathan Rose, presented examples of grand architectural transformations for inspiration, such as Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and the new Cooper Union Building.

The overall aim, according to the NYU web site (Framework 2031, and the NYU Plans Space 2031 initiative), is "to provide the necessary square footage (estimated at 6 million square feet) to advance NYU’s academic trajectory while committing the University to contextual development that respects the character of the neighborhoods, improves the streetscapes and green spaces it shares with the community, and aims for a high standard of architecture."

Monday, March 22, 2010

Could it get any better? The first weekend in spring was darn near perfect in Brooklyn. Saturday and Sunday were great days to sit outside Montague Street restaurants or Siggy's on Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights (above) and watch the world go by.

Sparrows enjoyed their own outdoor cafes, too.

James Weir, Florist, on Montague Street, with pastel balloons for no particular reason.

History continues to be made by the Obama administration: By a vote of 219 to 212, the House passed a health care bill that that will provide medical coverage to 32 million uninsured Americans. (Full details at the NY Times)

219 Democrats and 0 Republicans voted yes.
The costs of the plan, according to the budget office, would be more than offset by savings in Medicare and by new taxes and fees, mostly on the wealthy. The bill would reduce the federal budget deficits by $143 billion in the next 10 years. A fix incorporating changes now goes to the Senate.

The Christian Science Monitor has a primer on the details here. It's important to note that many of the major provisions won't start until 2014, such as the requirement for most Americans to buy coverage, which will be subsidized for many (those earning under $88,000/year). But some provisions will start right away (or very soon): Health insurers won't be able to deny coverage to children with medical problems or suddenly drop coverage for people who become ill. Small businesses will obtain tax credits to help them buy insurance. Adults with pre-existing health conditions will be able to enroll in a new (temporary) national high-risk insurance plan.

Republicans say the American people don't want this bill. But most likely, in a very short time, Americans won't know how we ever managed without it.

Friday, March 19, 2010

From a distance they look like little toy trucks zooming over the paths on the six grassy acres of Pier 1 as workers seem to be scurrying to get ready for the official opening on Monday of the first section of Brooklyn Bridge Park.

The design of Pier 1 includes a 30-foot wide pedestrian and bike path, a waterfront promenade, Bridge View Lawn, Harbor View Lawn and the granite River Steps (pictures on Brownstoner) facing lower Manhattan.

There will eventually be four food concessions on Pier 1, including two mobile food carts, a 130-square foot location inside the Pier 1 gatehouse and a 2,500-square foot elevated outdoor plaza with the option of selling beer and wine. According to Eater, those interested in the concessions include Red Hook's The Good Fork, DUMBO's Rice and Superfine, and at least 30 others (including Danny Meyer).

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the opening will be preceded by an invitation-only groundbreaking attended by Gov. David Paterson, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Borough President Marty Markowitz and other officials.

On March 10 Mayor Bloomberg said that a proposed not-for-profit organization, known as the Brooklyn Bridge Park Operating Entity (BBPOE), would be responsible for the planning, construction, maintenance and operation of the park. BBPOE will have a 17-member board.

A Community Advisory Committee will be formed, and also a Subcommittee on Alternatives to Housing to look into possible revenue sources other than the development parcels intended for Pier 6 and John Street.

Every year the appearance of bird nests in the Park Plaza Diner lettering is a local sign of spring. This year the sign is once again abuzz with sparrows carrying grass and straw to line the protected loops.

The east-facing sign gets the morning sunlight and has Cadman Plaza Park views.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Housing Works is advertising its Spring Preview sales which lasts through March 20. We're not sure how it works at the Montague Street location; at their other sites they close the store for a day and then pile up mounds of great finds for very cheap prices. Housing Works members get in free (others pay a $10 donation).

You lug, you hammer, you strip and you glaze. Then you go home, pick up the kids and start the dinner.

A new business on Washington Avenue and Prospect Place caters to female construction workers, set designers and MTA workers.

BCAT TV Network brings us the story of Brooklyn's Diedre Olivera-Douglas, who was working in the predominately male world of construction and saw a need for clothing and equipment that properly fit the female form.

She put down her jackhammer and picked up her business plans for Woman-Up!, a boutique that supplies women with perfectly-sized work gloves, body braces, steel-toed boots and, naturally, pink hard hats. Customers are thrilled with pliers that actually fit in their hands and protective gear with just a touch of pink.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Pity the poor crew from Sedna Films who took over Washington Street in DUMBO Friday to film promos for HGTV (Home & Garden Television). Since their filming date coincided with the beginning of the weekend's devastating nor'easter, equipment had to be stowed under tents, tarps and umbrellas. Unfortunately, the talent -- the guy standing next to the taxi, below -- had to do his part standing in the rain. And again.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

An SUV caught fire in the Manhattan-bound side of the Brooklyn Bridge about 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Multiple fire engines and rescue vehicles rushed to the scene. Manhattan-bound lanes were closed, and cars stuck behind the blaze slowly backed out or turned around and drove in the wrong direction towards Brooklyn to get off the bridge.

Cyclosity posted a photo of the car on Flickr and noted its license plate: CIN4LIFE
No word on injuries.

At 8 p.m. Sunday evening more than 1,000 homes in Brooklyn were still without power in the aftermath of Saturday's nor'easter. Con Edison has been busy all day -- more than 10,000 were without power Sunday morning. The map above was produced by Con Ed's Storm Center. Each colorful little group of triangles represents multiple outages.

Customers are urged to call Con Edison immediately to report any outages at 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633).

As of 11 p.m. Saturday night, 9,000 residents of Brooklyn were without power, according to Con Edison.

A Con Ed bulletin said, "Con Edison crews are working to restore power to customers throughout its service area who have been affected by the heavy wind and rain storm that struck the area Friday and intensified on Saturday.

"Fierce winds and heavy rain have driven trees into power lines and knocked out electricity. The company expects the wind and rain to continue through the night, causing more tree damage and outages. As the rain continues, extensive flooding could damage underground electrical equipment in low-lying areas, which could also cause customers to lose power.

"Con Edison has additional customer service representatives, electrical and construction crews, along with tree-clearing crews working around the clock to respond to customers and power outages that may occur.

Customers are urged to call Con Edison immediately to report any outages at 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633). Customers can also report power interruptions or service problems as well as view service restoration information online at www.conEd.com and on their cell phones and PDAs."

Friday, March 12, 2010

The Hannah Senesh Day School has announced to parents that it will not pursue its controversial plan to expand into the courtyard next to its building at Smith Street and First Place, according to the Pardon Me For Asking blog.

The courtyards -- or gardens -- in Carroll Gardens are protected by a 160-year-old law that states that the courtyards can not be built on (OR used for parking, as is presently the case).

Kenneth Fisher was paid $7,500 by the school to lobby in 2008 for the "acquisition of a lot currently owned by the City of New York." Bill de Blasio had planned to introduce a bill to amend "old Brooklyn Law" (without community input) to allow the Hannah Senesh School to build in the courtyard, and Carroll Gardeners were furious at the "sell out."

Fisher told the Brooklyn Eagle in December, "I specifically noted, and invited the participants to take a look when the meeting was over, that the lot in question is a fenced parking area with a wall on the neighbor's property at the western end. It is not a garden.”

Here are more details and photos of the fire that took out the popular Montague Wine & Spirits shop and the laundromat at 78 Montague Street yesterday.

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the fire started in the laundromat, then spread to the wine shop, causing extensive damage. There was a “heavy body of fire in the rear,” Chief Costello told the Eagle, with extension into the liquor store through the ceiling in the rear of the store. (The Brooklyn Paper says the fire started in the wine shop.)

No official word yet on the cause of the fire, though a commenter on the Brooklyn Heights Blog says it was an electrical fire that started in the laundromat.

The tin ceilings were pulled down inside the wine shop and there's a hole in the roof. (Above, firefighters carry charred pieces of the roof.)

The windows were boarded up by 9 p.m. last night, though workers were still at the scene past that time. Karl Junkersfeld has posted a video on the Brooklyn Heights Blog showing the aftermath of the fire.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Every March 10th, Tibetans and Tibet supporters hold marches to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan National Uprising against China’s occupation. In Brooklyn, Tibetans gathered in Cadman Plaza Park Wednesday morning in preparation for a march across the Brooklyn Bridge.

There were speeches and music at Cadman Plaza. Then the group, which numbered roughly 200, marched into Manhattan to the United Nations for another rally.

From there they headed to the Chinese Consulate, then to Union Square Park for more music and speeches.

The event was organized by Students for a Free Tibet, who says that Chinese security forces are now a permanent presence in Tibetan towns and villages and a new “Strike Hard” campaign was launched in Lhasa in advance of this 51st anniversary, with hundreds of Tibetans being interrogated and harassed in recent days.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

State officials have agreed to let New York City finish building (and paying for) Brooklyn Bridge Park, the New York Times reports. While a chunk of the work has been started (especially on Piers 1 and 6) the rest has been delayed while the state and city argued over who would get the control.

The agreement is expected to be approved Wednesday by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation, according to the Times. (Many more steps lay ahead.)

Interestingly, the city seems a little flexible on the matter of housing in the park. According to the Times, "Officials said they would explore adding a floating pool and skating rink."

- Dying to try out a new restaurant in Brooklyn? Dine in Brooklyn runs from March 15 - 25; lunch is $20.10 and diner costs $25. More than 175 restaurants are participating this year, from Alma in Carroll Gardens to Queen in Brooklyn Heights to Bar Tabac in Boerum Hill to Blue Ribbon in Park Slope, etc. Some restaurants are even offering 2-fers: Brunch 2-for $20.10; Lunch 2-for $20.10 and Dinner 2-for $25.00 (like Rice in DUMBO). Full list of participating restaurants here.

Monday, March 8, 2010

The Coney Island History Project's public exhibition center under the Cyclone roller coaster will host an open house to celebrate Coney Island's and the Cyclone's opening day on Sunday, March 28 from 12-3 p.m.

All are invited invited to view historic artifacts, photographs, maps, ephemera and films of Coney Island's colorful past and preview selections from the History project's 2010 exhibition season. Admission is free of charge.

The Institute of Magical Dance presents the New York premiere of Homewrecker, a film by Brad & Todd Barnes, Friday, March 12, at 7:00 pm at Founders Hall, St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights.

Winner: Best of NEXT, Sundance Film Festival, 2010: “The last romantic in New York City is an ex-con locksmith on work release.”

The cast and crew of Homewrecker will be there. Doors open at 7:00 pm, film begins at 7:20 pm. A very special raffle prize drawing will take place and a Q & A with the cast and crew will follow the screening.

The screening is a fundraiser for the Brooklyn Aikikai Scholarship Program. The funds raised will be used to subsidize the travel expenses of four dedicated female students as they travel to Japan this spring for intensive aikido and misogi training at Hombu Dojo and Ichikukai Dojo in Tokyo.

This incredible Rube Goldbergian contraption was built for the video of "This Too Shall Pass" off of the album "Of the Blue Colour of the Sky." The video was filmed in a two story warehouse in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. The machine was designed and built by the band, along with members of Synn Labs ( http://syynlabs.com/ ) over the course of several months. Directed by James Frost, OK Go and Syyn Labs. Produced by Shirley Moyers.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Want to get really mad about something? This excellent video by ReasonTV will have you wanting to throw yourself in font of the bulldozers, too.

It may sound like China but this abuse of eminent domain is happening right here in Brooklyn. Thriving homes and businesses have been seized by the state on a false pretense and then immediately handed over to the billionaire boys for private gain. Meanwhile, the destruction of the "best bar in America" fast approaches.

Ratner plans to break ground on the site on March 11, if not before. Customers plan to handcuff themselves to the bar, and a state senator will lie down in front of the bulldozers.

ReasonTV: "Ratner, whose partners in the venture include rapper Jay Z and the Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, stands to pocket hundreds of millions of dollars on the deal, all thanks to the brute force of the state."

Phil DePaolo, community activist in Williamsburg sent CORD (Carroll Gardens Coalitions for Respectful Development) a letter reminding us that that one year ago Bob Guskind, passionate Brooklyn community activist and author of the Gowanus Lounge blog, died.

DePaolo's letter -- "What Would Bob Say?" -- is a moving memorial to the mark that Bob left on Brooklyn. He writes about what Bob would be proud of today ("he would be thrilled and very proud of the residents of Gowanus who won a Superfund designation yesterday over the objections of the Mayor") and what would piss him off (what happened at Atlantic Yards).

We're not sure where Brooklyn's werewolves fall on this issue. According to A Werewolf Blog in Brooklyn, some of them use the Gowanus Canal "as a means of transport and hideout whilst terrorizing the boroughs." There seems to be a question about the canal remaining suitable for Hell Hounds after the cleanup.

In any case, EPA will hold its third general public meeting to discuss next steps with community residents and stakeholders on Thursday, March 4th from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the auditorium of P.S. 58, 330 Smith St.

- Tonight, Wednesday -- March 3rd -- the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is having a public hearing about proposed service cuts and getting rid of discount student MetroCards. 6 p.m. at the Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway. More at CWNA

- Also tonight, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is hosting a Town Hall Meeting for public school parents, students and educators. The goal is to to figure out how to increase parental engagement in NYC's public education system. Brooklyn Borough Hall Courtroom at 209 Joralemon St. From 7 - 9 p.m. More at CWNA

- Is it all just too much? Join the Cobble Hill Association's Happy Hour at Watty & Meg. 6 p.m. More at Cobble Hill Association

The blog description reads: "I've google searched and read mountains of UFO documents and have come to a stunning conclusion that needs to be blogged. The rabbit hole is deep and leads to information people have been killed for even speaking about. But I'm not scared - I'm here online in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Who's going to believe me?"